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Statement of the Problem Due to an increase number of parents entering the work force, there is a great need to place children in after-school programs that enrich their academic and social development. After- school programs can focus on academics or recreational. However, it is not clear which after-school program promotes academic achievement. This study will focus on the following question: Which type of after-school program is beneficial to students academic achievement?

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Review of Related Literature However, after-school programs can interfere with a childs commitment to their family and community. It can also reduce parental involvement in their childs academic process. (Cosden, Morrison, Alabanese, & Macias, 2001; Cosden, Morrison, Gutierrez, & Brown, 2004) A study by Vandell & Corasaniti reported middle class children who attended after-school had poorer grades and test scores and were more likely to be rejected by their classmates. (Pierce, Hamm, & Vandell, 1999 ) Another study reported that children in after-school showed more problems socially, emotionally, and academically when compared to those in mother care or self-care after-school. (Posner & Lowe, 1994) Cons of After-school Programs

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Threats to Internal/External Validity Threats to Internal Validity History – Classroom teacher came into the room and the phone rang when participants were filling out their attitude survey. Instrumentation – Questionnaires were self-created by researcher. Selection-Maturation Interaction – Participants may mature differently than others. Threats to External Validity Selection-Treatment Interaction – Participants werent individually selected. Experimenter Effects (Passive Elements) – Participants were intimidated by researcher because she is not their daily after-school counselor. Hawthorne Effect – Participants respond differently because they know they are in an experiment.

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Procedure Study implemented between March 2009 – April 2009. Prior to the study, participants have been exposed to academic assistance (homework help/tutoring) and recreational activities (dancing, organized sports, arts & crafts) for five months in their after-school programs. Parental consent forms distributed in March 2009 and April 2009. Three different sets of reading comprehension exams were distributed for three consecutive days (one for each day). Attitude and demographic survey distributed on the fourth day. Exams and surveys were graded and analyzed.

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Correlation Rxy = 0.05 There is no correlation between the amount of time spent reading and test scores in the academic after-school program. Average time spent reading = 37 minutes Rxy = 0.6 There is a correlation between the amount of time spent reading and test scores in the recreational after-school program. Average time spent reading = 47 minutes. Note: The question regarding the amount of time a student spent on reading was specified to a specific setting, whether it was during after-school, school hours, or at home.

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Implications Results of this study cannot be generalized to the general population since 100% of the participants in this study were Asian. Need for a larger sample size Need for long-term study More research is needed especially regarding recreational after-school programs and their effects on academic achievement.